Azad Moopen, chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, which runs four multispecialty hospitals in Kerala, has suggested a gradual rise in the salaries of nurses.
“As a doctor myself, I am for a decent salary for nurses,” he told The Hindu. “But the salary hike should be a gradual process, not a steep hike overnight, so that the hospitals can absorb the increase in their operating costs.”
He said the current hike in nurses’ wages was roughly 60% at one go which itself was a huge burden on the hospitals. Noting that the four Aster hospitals in Kerala employed more than 2,000 nurses, Dr. Moopen said nurses made up around 40% of the hospital staff and was a key cost component.
While hospitals in the cities would be able to pay the increased wages, those in the rural areas would be hard-pressed. Dr. Moopen, however, felt that considering the cost of nursing education and the time spent on training, the current wages were not attractive.